The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Prosthetic joints can reduce pain due to arthritis, deterioration, deformation, and the like. Prosthetic hip joints often include a femoral component that is fixed to the patient's femur and an acetabular cup that is fixed within the patient's pelvis. More specifically, the femoral component can include a stem that extends into the patient's resected femur and a rounded head that is received within the acetabular cup. The head can articulate within the cup so as to moveably couple the femoral component within the acetabular cup.
Typically, a superior portion of the femur is partially reamed to create a reamed opening that receives the femoral component of the prosthetic hip joint. In some cases, multiple reamers of varying widths are used at different portions of the femur such that the resultant reamed opening varies in width and to match the geometry of the femoral component of the prosthetic joint. As such, the reaming process ensures that the femoral component properly fits within and fixes to the femur.
Although reaming systems have been adequate for their intended purposes, these systems can be improved. For instance, reaming processes can be time consuming and inconvenient, especially if multiple reamers are needed for reaming different portions of the femur.